Effect of dried-bonito broth on mood states: A pooled analysis of four randomized controlled human trials

Abstract

Dried-bonito broth is commonly employed as a soup and sauce base in Japanese cuisine and is considered to be a nutritional supplement that promotes recovery from fatigue. Previous human trials have indicated that the ingestion of dried-bonito broth improves several mood states including fatigue, however, the effects in these studies have differed. The aim of this study was to clarify the effects of daily ingestion of dried-bonito broth on mood states by a pooled analysis of the randomized placebo-controlled trials. Five comparisons in four trials were selected for the pooled analysis (n = 159). The ingestion of dried-bonito broth significantly decreased the scores for fatigue (P = 0.032) and increased those for vigor (P = 0.027) compared to the placebo ingestion, suggesting that the dried-bonito broth improved fatigue felt in daily life. Furthermore, the ingestion of dried-bonito broth decreased the scores for tension-anxiety (P = 0.004) and confusion (P = 0.008) compared to the placebo ingestion. The ingestion of dried-bonito broth also significantly decreased the scores for total mood disturbance (P = 0.005). These results suggest that the ingestion of dried-bonito broth improves mood states especially fatigue, vigor, tension-anxiety and confusion.Bonito (skipjack tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis) is one of the most familiar fish in Japan, where it is known as katsuo. Approximately 20% of the total amount of bonito caught in the world is consumed in Japan. Bonito is smoked and dried to make katsuo-bushi (dried-bonito), which is an important ingredient in dashi (Japanese fish broth). Dried-bonito broth (katsuo-bushi dashi) is commonly employed as a soup and sauce base in Japanese cuisine due to its special flavor. Furthermore, it is consumed as a nutritional supplement that is believed to promote recovery from fatigue, and is used in many traditional foods in Japan, for example, in Kachu-yu (a soup containing dried-bonito and soy paste) in Okinawa and in Cha-bushi (a soup containing dried-bonito, soy paste, and green tea) in Kagoshima. In evaluation of the physiological function of dried-bonito broth, its influence on fatigue has received special attention. In a previous study by Murakami, spontaneous motility in mice was measured using an infrared sensor after gait on a rolling vehicle, and bonito extract was found to increase spontaneous motility (10). Additionally, in previous experiment using mice, swimming time in a pool was measured, and it was confirmed that bonito extract prolonged the duration of swimming (7). Based on these experiments' findings that the administration of bonito extract could also recover the liver ATP/AMP ratio (10) and the muscle ATP level (7), it has been suggested that bonito extract has an anti-fatigue effect. In human trials, a previous study indicated that the ingestion of the dried-bonito broth for 4 weeks improved fatigue-related symptoms such as "eye fa-

The Anti-fatigue Effects of the Low-Molecular-Weight Fraction of Bonito Extract in Mice

“…BE was confirmed to be effective against mental fatigue, 29) and in this study we confirmed that BE is effective against physical fatigue. Our experiment results also clarified that the LMF of BE contains the active components.…”

Effective prevention of sorafenib-induced hand–foot syndrome by dried-bonito broth

“…In addition, the various amino acids contained in the DBB 12 , 15 cause this phenomenon. Interestingly, DBB has also been reported to improve fatigue, 15 mood, 16 and cognitive function 17 and has antioxidative properties, 18 and it might have contributed to maintain the patients’ general condition and prolong SOR treatment period. The limitation of our study is that it was designed as an exploratory and pragmatic clinical trial and has several methodological deficiencies with major group imbalances.…”

Dried bonito broth improves cognitive function via the histaminergic system in mice

“…DBB has also traditionally been considered a folk remedy for fatigue in the southern part of Japan. In previous works, DBB was confirmed to be effective against fatigue in animal and human studies (22,32). We demonstrated that the daily ingestion of DBB by humans improves mood, especially by alleviating mental fatigue (31), and that it increases performance on a simple calculation task (21).…”